Support racks are typically mounted on the exterior of a motor vehicle to support bicycles, minibikes, skis, surf boards, and the like, above the ground. These racks are constructed of rigid frame members having arms extending horizontally therefrom for supporting objects, and they are usually mounted on the rear bumper of the vehicle, or on the trunk lid, or a combination of both.
While these support racks have been adequate for their purposes, they have several drawbacks. Because these racks are fixedly mounted on the rear of the vehicle, they restrict access to vehicles having rearward-opening doors, such as vans, pickup trucks, campers, and the like. In addition, heavy lifting is frequently required to place objects on and remove them from the support arms. Furthermore, these racks frequently obstruct the view of the rear license plate, which is a violation of motor vehicle laws.
Several devices have been proposed for overcoming these disadvantages. For instance, U.S. Patent No. 4,400,129, issued to Eisenberg et al. on Aug. 23, 1983, discloses a pair of horizontally projecting arms mounted to the crossmember of a T-shaped support member that in turn is pivotally mounted to a vehicle. A substantial drawback to this device is that, as the T-shaped support member is pivoted downward, the pair of arms angle downward, allowing an object supported thereon to slide off. Even if the object were firmly fastened to the support member, it would not be held in an upright position as the support arm is pivoted downward. In addition, the vertical support post obstructs the view of the license plate when mounted on the rear of a vehicle. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,835, issued to Cole on Jan. 13, 1987, a carrier apparatus for an all-terrain vehicle is disclosed having a frame pivotally mounted to a horizontal beam that is attached to a trailer hitch. An all-terrain vehicle is mounted to the frame and supported in a vertical position for transportation and then lowered to a horizontal position for loading and unloading. An obvious drawback to this device is that vertically positioning the all-terrain vehicle, or any motorized vehicle, for that matter, can easily cause fuel, oil, and cooling liquids to drain from the engine, creating a fire hazard and the potential for damage and injury. In addition, the rigidly mounted support arms will not hold a bicycle or motorcycle in an upright orientation as the carrier apparatus is pivoted between the vertical and horizontal orientations. Furthermore, it is impossible to see the license plate when this device is in use.
Consequently, there is a need for a support rack that can mount to the rear of a vehicle and that not only allows access to the rear doors of the vehicle without requiring removal of the supported objects and the support frame, but also maintains the objects in an upright position as the frame pivots between a horizontal or lowered position, with the object on or close to the ground, and a vertical or raised position, with the object supported above the ground. Also, it is important that the rack provide an unrestricted view of the rear license plate when in use.